Video: Miles Plumlee’s 2 Monster Summer League Facials

In one of Larry Bird‘s last acts as president of the Pacers, he drafted Miles Plumlee with the 26th pick in the first round. It was quite a shocking pick since many experts and analysts were predicating Plumlee to still be available in the second round. The Pacers are happy to be with the pick as Frank Vogel said after the draft:

“I think it’s a home run. To get a guy like this at the 26th pick, clearly, he’s the best dirty-work guy in the draft. He’s a blue-collar guy who falls right into our team’s identity, which we rebuilt around defensive rebounding, and this kid’s specialty is defensive rebounding. Nobody plays harder. He’ll be all over the floor, he’ll be diving for loose balls, running the floor, and he’s an underrated athlete for a 7-footer who gives us depth up front.

“Our first scouting meeting, I jokingly asked, ‘Are there any Jeff Fosters in the draft?’ and four of our scouts said simultaneously, ‘Miles Plumlee.’ We’ve had our eye on him ever since. I know he’s been a personal favorite of Larry Bird. We had a hunch about him. And his personal workout blew us away.”

At the Orlando Summer League, Plumlee has been showing any doubters that he has the necessary talent to have been picked in the first round by scoring in double figures and grabbing rebounds left and right. Although his “Jeff Foster”-like game seems to be a perfect fit for the Pacers, Plumlee can do a few things that Foster couldn’t do:

Had to be a single highlight right? No one with a Don Draper-style haircut can really dunk like that, had to be an aberration, right? Well…

Perhaps Larry Bird knew what he was doing drafting Miles Plumlee in the first round.